1. Field of the Invention
The current invention relates to methods for predicting a blood glucose level of a person using a near-infrared spectral scan of a body part of the person.
2. Description of Prior Art
People affected with diabetes must frequently monitor their blood glucose level. The traditional method of checking blood glucose level involves a finger prick to draw a drop of blood that is tested in an analytical device. It is often difficult, particularly for children and elderly people, to perform this test especially if it is needed several times a day.
There has been considerable research into non-invasive methods of predicting the blood glucose level of a person affected with diabetes. A popular method involves using a near-infrared (NIR) spectral scan of a body part of the person. When NIR light is radiated through the skin and into the blood vessels glucose molecules in the blood absorb some of the NIR light energy. The corresponding NIR absorbance can be used to predict the glucose level of the blood. The major problem with this method is accurately establishing an evaluation model for predicting the blood glucose level from the NIR spectral scan results. Various methods of establishing evaluation models are given in U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,030 to Ciurczak et al and its various references. The contents of U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,030 and the reference cited therein are incorporated in this application by reference to more fully describe the state of the art in this field.
A problem with most of the disclosed methods is that they are usually specific to the person being tested and the evaluation models are dynamic and often require recalibration.